Vesanoid, the first vitamin A derivative that's been approved for treating cancer

Roche is now marketing Vesanoid, the first vitamin A derivative that's been approved for treating cancer.

Vesanoid is an oral form of tretinoin...the same ingredient that's in Retin-A.

Retinoids don't kill cancer cells like traditional chemo-therapy. They help get immature cancer cells to differentiate, and mature normally. These mature cells then die naturally. Vesanoid is only approved for a rare form of leukemia. But oral retinoids also show promise for lung, breast, and ovarian cancers.